PICTURE PERFECT: Sunrise after rain in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The Wednesday morning was good indeed. Skies were overcast. Drizzles greeted morning walkers and school-goers, giving respite from the heat onslaught.

The “cool” weather would prevail for at least three days. Moist easterly winds have filled the troposphere over the city, obstructing the solar rays from directly reaching the earth’s surface. As a result, cool breeze is blowing.

The high level of moisture developed into clouds late on Tuesday night. Citizens woke up to overcast skies and drizzles on Wednesday morning.

Joggers as well as school-going children enjoyed the cloud cover the most. “Last few days, it used to be hot at 6.30 in the morning — the time I take my daughter to the bus stand. I even used to carry an umbrella. But dense clouds in the skies and winds turned the atmosphere pleasant today (Wednesday). I simply loved the walk to the bus stop,” said Avinash Kumar, a resident of Boring Road.

The dense and dark clouds dispersed as the day progressed. The afternoon was bright but not as hot as the past couple of days.

Priya Kanchan, a resident of Kadamkuan, said: “The skies were mostly clear on Wednesday, but the air was not that hot. The atmosphere turned soothing by the evening.”

She added: “I hope such conditions would prevail for a couple of more days.”

The mercury soared beyond the 40°C (40.4°C to be precise) for the first time this year on April 9. The maximum temperature hovered around 40°C over the next few days.

After an isolated thunderstorm late on Sunday evening, the maximum temperature came down to 37°C on Monday and to 36.4°C on Tuesday.

Weathermen claimed that the dip in the mercury column, along with moist easterly winds, prompted the cloud cover and the precipitation on Wednesday.

“The intensity of rainfall was not much. It was traces (less than 0.1mm) in terms of measurement. But the level of moisture in the air is very high at present. Clouding, along with isolated thunderstorm activities, can be expected over the next three to four days,” said Ashish Sen, director, India Meteorological Department, Patna.

Sen claimed that the maximum temperature in the city would hover around 36°C over the next three-four days.

“The temperature is unlikely to soar much over the next three to four days because of the moist easterly winds. The mornings and evenings would be mostly pleasant,” said Sen.